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Description
"Long in the Tooth," released in October 2020 on Daptone Records, arrives not as a declaration of obsolescence but as a defiant reclamation of the group's soulful lineage. Celebrating fifteen years since their debut, the album finds Tommy Brenneck's Staten Island ensemble bridging the gap between the farfisa-driven Ethio-funk stylings of their early work and the psychedelic, Sabbath-inspired hellfire that had defined their later explorations. As Complex Distractions noted, "Super tight and funky rhythm section, jazz-inflected horns, Latin percussion, and slinky guitar all coming together to give the impression that..." the group had somehow perfected their alchemy of Afro-soul and funk.
The title itself is a clever subversion of the phrase "long in the tooth"-typically denoting something past its prime. Here, it becomes an assertion of enduring vitality. Brenneck's production once again leverages the full breadth of the group's instrumental arsenal: the pulsating organ walls, menacing horn stabs, and rugged guitar riffs permeate the soul, leaving the listener in a rhythmic wash of Budonian rapture. Tracks like "Snake Hawk" and "Haunted Sea" showcase the band's ability to craft dance-floor anthems without sacrificing the immersive soundscapes that had evolved over the decades.
Critically received as a cathartic return to roots, the album demonstrates the group's monumental form-a synthesis of early output's B-boy approved grooves and late-career psychedelic explorations. As PopMatters observed, "Long in the Tooth feels timely as a catharsis, but also mostly unexpected in terms of the immersive soundscapes and unspoken stories it contains." It is a testament to an instrumental band that refuses to be confined by genre expectations, consistently carving its own distinct path through the grooves of history. The vinyl edition, housed in a black die-cut outer shell with an embossed tooth, is no less than a collector's dream-fitting for a group that has, through nearly fifteen years of recording, remained as vital and relevant as their very first release.¹²³
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¹ [The Fire Note Review](https://thefirenote.com/reviews/the-budos-band-long-in-the-tooth-album-review/)
² [Complex Distractions](https://complexdistractions.blog/2021/01/28/the-budos-band-long-in-the-tooth/)
³ [PopMatters](https://www.popmatters.com/budos-band-long-in-tooth-2648082035.html)
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